When Ruins Reply [1x1]

The tickles were starting to border on the unbearable, his sense were growing hyperstimulated and he was very much relieved when Kat moved and saved him from further discomfort/ He could feel the little paws...? They looked more like hands, to him a least, but he could feel them as well as those long whiskers and he found himself, despite the discomfort, wondering what they told the little thing called Tucker.

His ear, the one that Tucker was investigate flicked back against his skull a couple of times, as if to reset the funny feeling left behind whilst the ear's owner sought to reclaim his breathing, a deep chest shifting a higher rate than before. Well, this was certainly a first contact first, having one's ear tickled by an alien life form. Atelon was pretty sure he couldn't exactly call that a claim for fame, nor would he wish to, he thought as he looked back to Kat and her rat.

He listened and watched her show and tell, nodding, "I'll keep that in mind, most assuredly." It took him a moment before he returned to his normal state of living, turning on the lounger to face her. He was vaguely aware not every new species his kind met realised how attentive their ears were for them as a species.

"I do not think I could say no to such a lively little beastling," he said, no offense in his inflections to the ordeal served but rather one of bemusement and curiosity albeit tarred with one who was also growing tired. He had not anticipated meeting and chasing and helping a new visitor to his homeworld.

She yawned again and he fought the urge to copycat as he nodded and rose to his feet, "Of course. My home is yours for the duration of your stay. If you'd like to follow me...?" he smiled, giving her a minute to do so before he lead the way to the other side of the apartment. He then stopped by a doorway and pushed a button on one side of the door. The button had what looked to be symbols etched into its otherwise smooth surface. The door slid open, retracting into the wall it was connect to and revealed a spacious but functional serviceable bedroom with what would be a single bed by Nolfian standards and yet likely equated to a king in human terms. It was also much lower to the floor but looked equipped with sheets and coverings.

There was a window with no discernable curtains but Atelong spoke a word and the glass shifted, becoming dark and frosted over, dulling the lights from surrounding sources from outside. There was other furniture, likely storage spaces. There was also another door to one side of the bed.

"There's a bathroom facility through that door should you present with a need," he explained, pointing the door out first before he then pointed to a button on the wall on the sinde of the room, behidn the one he had pressed on the outside. "This will open or close the door when you press it once. Double pressing in quick succession will activate its locking mechanism," he explained that too, it had freaked him out the first night he had stayed here and didn't doubt that she might have a similar reaction if not so told.
 
She gathered Tucker up in her hands and followed Atelon into the bedroom. It was a nice bedroom. Of course, it was a nice bedroom. And it had a huge bed! She gazed at the bed in awe. That massive thing was the guest bed? Then she glanced at Atelon. Alright, maybe there was a good reason for the size. It looked comfy. At this point, the floor looked comfortable. The non-curtains was a nice touch. How did that work?

The bathroom door was something different. She studied the symbol on the button and nodded as if she could understand what it signified. She had no idea. Maybe she'd recognize it later, though. Any information was useful at this point. She watched him closely, taking great interest in his example.

"Doublt press is the lock. Got it," she said with a short nod. "Thanks. I do not want to get stuck in there." That was a level of embarrassment she was sure transcended the universe: Needing to get rescued in or from the bathroom.

That seemed to be everything. She looked at Atelon expectantly. She wasn't about to get ready to sleep while he was here.
 
Atelon nodded as she inspected and familiarised herself with the room he had offered. It was nothing too grand and generally that's how he preferred it. The night was growing ever darker and it was times like this he missed vacationing in the cold north, the sky would be something else then.

He half turned back to the doorway finding her already looking at him with an expression that he could only equate to kicking him out of the room. It bemused more than offended and he inclined his white fluffy head, "I bid you good night, Kat. Sleep well."

With that he turned and left the room to her, the door opening and then closing after a press of the button. He went back to the main living space and began tidying the place. This was a normality for him anyway, he liked things orderly and to hand at the start of each day. It felt strange to walk around with another's scent in his nasal cavities and it threw him off a little. Once everything was to his liking, he moved off to the kitchen, grabbed a glass of water and then headed off to his own room that was further down the hallway on the opposing side.

Morning would come early with a dawn chorus of strange noises that was a heady mix of raucous caws and sweet song-work. The skies would be another heady mix of bright pastel colours; pinks, yellows, reds, oranges and a hint of indigo. Atelon's alarm went off early too, one he had forgotten to switch off, he wasn't due for anything today. He clicked it off with a wide yawn and stared upwards in deep thought.
 
Kat waited until she was certain the wolf guy was gone. Then she went into the bathroom and made certain the door was locked. That done, she checked the floors. Thankfully, there were not many crevices in this bathroom, so she felt confident putting Tucker down to explore however much he wanted to. He immediately took off around the edges of the room, his nose moving like crazy! Kat shook her head with a little scoff. She was always looking for new ways to enrich his life, especially since he was a single rat, but this was going to ridiculous lengths! Oh well. At least one of them was happy.

With Tucker occupied, she stripped but kept her clothes within easy reach. She had nothing on underneath her shirt and pants since she hadn't anticipated leaving her apartment, and she was feeling very vulnerable indeed! Using what looked like a wash cloth (she really hoped it was a wash cloth) and the sink, she ran some hot water and used that to scrub herself clean from face down to feet, taking extra time on her feet. The entire time she kept glancing at the door, ready to snatch up her clothes the second she heard anything that sounded even remotely like a door opening or even a footstep outside the door. She rinsed out the washcloth as best she could and hung it to dry before pulling on her clothes again. There was no hairbrush, not that she wanted to use a strange hairbrush, so her tangled hair got the finger treatment and then twisted up in a knot and tied there with hope since she had nothing to hold it there. She glanced down at herself and sighed. If she got stuck here for too long, she was going to need so much stuff. Starting with clean underpants and at least a one or two shirts and a pair of real pants.

Cleaning done, she used the facilities for their intended purpose (a weird, new experience), fetched Tucker, and staggered to bed. After a bit of hunting around the room, she ended up putting Tucker back in the bathroom with a couple of towels down for him to use as bedding and likely a toilet of his own. She'd have to find a way to make up the lose of one, maybe two towels to her new host, but better a towel than on the bed or, worse, the rat getting lose in the house and potentially wrecking the ecosystem. Thankfully, there was only one, but if Tucker could breed with the... whatever the things were around here, that would cause havoc. So, he got stuck in the bathroom to fend for himself while she lounged out on the bed.

Kat felt like she'd barely blinked, and it was morning. Her body lay on the bed hugged by the sheets, and for just a moment of pure bliss, she thought she was home.

And then she remembered.

She groaned and buried her head under the blankets for a while.

Eventually, she had to get up. She needed the bathroom for one thing, and her stomach was growling! She used the facilities, finger-combed her curled hair as best she could, and found Tucker asleep in one of the towels. He'd used the other as expected, and she left it alone for now. Rat on her shoulder, she stealed herself, and walked into the next room to see her host.
 
This was altogether a strange sense of being when you were fully aware of someone that was a complete and total stranger to you, an alien in so many ways, sleeping, or rather having slept, in a room opposite to your own when you had been used to a bachelor lifestyle. And one who very very rarely brought anyone home.

Was there etiquettes he had to observe? He certainly wasn't going to go wake her... no doubt it would take a moment or four to just realise where she was and Atelon had no wishes to get on the wrong end of a fist because she hadn't had time to process her situation. He had no idea if she had needs that the addon couldn't already have provided, what did she eat, drink... would her clothes be sufficient? he winced at that last thought.... she was very likely going to need some clothes and he doubted any of his would even fit her.

Then there was Tucker to consider those self same questions for, though he doubted he'd need clothes. Perhaps a little harness since Atelon didn't want to enforce a separation but a harness would offer them both some manner of control and protection.

He got up, showered and dried off in the walk in drier he had in his own, larger room. It was something that most had installed into their apartments on account of the amount of fur they owned at any one time. His always took a little longer to dry and would look a little poofy even as he changed into new clothes; a pair of simple slacks and a tunic with a mid-high collar to it.

Atelon looked out into the hallway and noted her door was still closed before he padded into the kitchen area with another wide yawn that displayed the entire set of his teeth. He shook his head, ears slapping against his skull before he heard the patter of feet join him in the living space come kitchen.

"Good morning... Would you like some affe or a'ter?" he asked, setting two containers before her on the counter, opening the lids as he spoke their names. The affe would smell very similar to coffee, and looked like instant coffee with the exception of the granules being entirely black. The a'ter was similar to that of loose tea leaves with a soft aromatic smell to them. The two aromas competed with each other a little before settling.

"I normally have the affe in the morning, but you're welcome to either," he went on, grabbing two cups that had no handles to them but would later prove to be double lined and insulated so that the inner layer and the contents would keep its temperature without burning or freezing a hand off.
 
Kat padded over, barefoot, and eyed the drinks suspiciously. She didn't think Atelon would purposefully hurt her, not by poisoning, anyway, but neither of them knew if this stuff was safe for her to drink. Or eat. Still, it couldn't hurt to try a little, right? A little bit should say whether or not it was safe. She cautiously indicated the one that looked like coffee.

"I'd like to try that one, I think," she said. "By the way, I hope I'm not asking for too much, but do you have an extra hairbrush?"

Atelon looked extra fluffy today. Something or someone with that much fur had to have more than one brush, right?
 
"Of course," Atelon nodded as she made her choice and then set about brewing them a cup of Affe each. The aroma of the liquid soon filled the air around them, something he relished every morning. He settled her mug on the counter and set a small jar with a liquid inside of a rich mahogany hue with a twizzling stick style ladle rested within. "I would try without this first... Api Nelo is very sweet on the tooth, you do not need to add a lot," he explained before he then gave thought to her question.

"Hm... I should do... One moment.."

Atelon moved, his long tail following and the counteracting as he turned for his doorway, disappearing through it and re-emerged about five to ten minutes later with a comb and a simple brush.

"I did not know which one would suit your fur... or rather, hair, I suppose? Do you call it fur or hair?" He blinked, wondering why that was even important to know. Fur was hair, hair was fur....
 
"Hair. It's hair," Kat told him, pulling a little at her own locks. "I don't know what the difference is other than it only grows on my head. More or less," she amended, thinking of the other places it grew. Not that she intended to brush those places or bring them up!

She picked up the mug cautiously and took a sip. Her lips puckered as she let the liquid sit on her tongue, considering it. Then she swallowed before saying, "Not bad. I don't think it needs anything. Thank you."
 
"You are most welcome," he replied, nodding before he sipped his own affe after putting the tiniest of drops of the sweetener into it. It was a strong sweet product and even he didn't like too much of it in his beverages but the tiniest drops was just enough to offset the aff for his tastes. He put all the pots away and then he moved towards the couch, letting her decide for herself where she wanted to be in the space. Atelon had realised that she could be in his world for quite some yet and didn't wish to make her feel like she was just a hanger on or some pet to be led around...

There would be complications till he could get things sorted he realised, but for now his apartment was probably the best place for her till he could sort that. He looked her over for a moment and his ears drooped in slow thought...

"Hm... I will have to try and get you some spare clothes..." there was one issue however, and that was the tail problem. Or rather, her clear lack of one, and his thought was punctuated by a graceful wave of his own long tufted one as he mulled it over and sipped once again.

"Did you rest well? Must have been a bit disconcerting to wake up to a different ceiling?" he asked soft, not unkindly.
 
She sipped her drink slowly, contemplating her answer. "I rested surprisingly well," she said. "It was really confusing waking up, but the bed is comfy. Um. Is it weird that I am more weirded out by the fact that I don't really feel jet-lagged?" She hesitated, not sure if that phrase existed here. "On my world, we have airplanes, metal bird things that fly through the air really fast. I don't really like traveling on them, but I know others who do it a lot. Anyway, it's the fastest method of travel, and for some reason, it affects the body the most. You feel exhausted and dragging and just awful. Car is the next fastest - I think - and while it still goes really, really fast and you do get some negative repercussions, it's not as bad as a plane trip. I'd have thought poofing - no, scratch that, - violent vortexing out of one dimension and into another would be worth one hell of a travel hangover."

She shifted in her chair, pulling back enough to give herself some space and started attacking her hair. It was a mess. Calling it a mess was being generous. Rats' nests were neater. Speaking of, she should mention the towel issue and ask for some things to look after Tucker.
 
Atelon cocked his head to one side, his brows raising with curiosity and confusion at the term and was happy when she went into further detail as to what being 'jetlagged' was or meant. It sounded a curious word but as she spoke, metal contraptions she had called 'planes' were a little more familiar. Just powered differently and had a different aesthetic, he supposed.

"Ah, you refer to the gravitational forces placed on onhe during high speeds..." he trailed off, unsure how much he could share with this woman out of time and space. He was aware of the forces involved and it had been a short fraction of time before his people's technology had mastered the solution around the problem.

"We don't really get that with our means of transport but as for the way you got here... It open much into the questions to ask ourselves and learn thereof," he mused, his mind wandering back to those ruins and their intended means. Was it meant to be a portal through space and time, or had it been an unforseen consequence of unknown perimeters. There was much to research before he could have any hope of returning her to her world.

And by then, would she even wish to return... That was likely going to be a concern of his governments. Would it be safe to send her back? He regarded her for a moment before he rose, setting his affe to one side and then retrieved a notebook from his workspace before he returned to his spot on the lounger.

"Enjoy your affe first... but we should record the state of events as we both understand them from our points of view."
 
Would she ever experience these fast travel methods in this world? Kat wasn't sure. It likely depended on how long she was stuck here and how much she needed to move around. She had the feeling Atelon did not really want her traveling too much. Exactly how much trouble would he be in if his government found out about her? Likely a fair amount. It wasn't like opening portals to random civilizations and snatching people from their easy chairs was exactly smiled on by any government. The real question was: How hidden did she need to remain?

She finally got her wildly curly hair under some level of control and used her one hair tie to pull it back in a ponytail. The tie strained under the stress, but it held stubbornly and kept the curls out of her face. Now she felt like she could think! She cleaned out the brush and handed it back to Atelon.

"A debriefing, eh? Yeah, I guess that makes sense," she nodded in agreement. "I assume you have some kind of voice recorder since me writing things down would be pointless? Oh, um, by the way... I need some way to take care of Tucker."
 
He settled on the lounger, crossing his legs and took a moment to just stretch and wiggle the clawed toes, the black claws standing out against the tufty white fur, with his tail curled around him to one side. Atelon rested the device across a thigh as he lay claim to his own affe once more. he didn't particularly feel a need to rush her statement out... after all it would undoubtedly take time anyway to figure out how to get her back.

Atelon was not entirely convinced he could do so without bringing a colleague into the matter and once you opened that door, he knew the doors would continue opening till it reached the long brown ears of his mother. He wrinkled his nose at thought. He would rather avoid that situation if he could help it.

"More we can quantify our experiences now and get it recorded, the easier it might be to solve the problem," he agreed with a nod of his skull and then sipped his drink, his ears remaining on her as his people's etiquette demanded. She was the sole other occupant of the room barring Tucker the Rat and thus he didn't have to worry about multi-directionals.

"Hm? Oh yes, I do," he answered, tapping the device that was equally his notebook. Paper was too much of a luxury.

"Ah, oh..." he thought a moment before he nodded, "Let me know what you'll need, I'm sure I can get them for you as best as I am able. Nolfians do take care of pets as well, so we do have the specific outlets. I will try to find some new clothes for you as well, if you like, but ah... the issue of your lack of a tail might be problematic...."

He stared at Kat with some thought before it gave rise to another albeit somewhat wild solution. A tail and ears were iconic to his people and the lack of them was something that no Nolfian could bear a thought about. Yet, some were born without them due to genetic mishaps or trauma had necessitated the removal... Perhaps he could get her some prosthetics... she could pass for one of the shorter tribes, he mused as he looked her over losing himself to his thinking...
 
Kat looked down at herself. "I never thought not having a tail would be a problem," she muttered. She straightened her baggy clothes as best as she could, trying - and mostly failing - to feel a little neater and cleaner. She still felt grungy. "New clothes would be good. Do you have something like a thrift store here?"

Crossing the room, she took a seat on the opposite end of the couch from Atelon. "I'll try not to burdon you too much. I mean, it's only fair you take care of basic necessities and stuff, but I'll try not to be too much of a burden. I don't think you asked for this any more than I did."

"Anyway." She cleared her throat. "Tucker needs some kind of cage when he's not with me. Metal would be better than any other building material because rats can chew through almost anything. If they are motivated, they can even chew through metal, but as long as nothing's motivating him to chew out of his cage, it'll be fine. If it could be around this big? Give or take?" She held out her arms and tried to trace out the general shape of a basic rectangular cage. "It does not have to be anything special since we shouldn't be here too long, I hope, but he'll need, um, some kind of bedding and a little box or a pan with something to use as his toilet. Sawdust? Wood shavings? Shredded paper? Tiny gravel-like substance? And some things to chew on. Rats, their front teeth? They grow all the time, so if he doesn't have something to chew on, his teeth could get so long they'd hurt his health. Oh, and water and food dishes of some kind. If you don't mind, I could go through your kitchen or extra containers and stuff and see if there's anything that could work before we buy anything."
 
"I know not what that is... but I have a thought, that might help you with getting around and the issue of the, uh, hole where a tail goes.... Are you opposed to a fake tail, as such? It wouldn't have to be for long... but ah... wouldn't think you'd wish to have... things on show...." his ears dropped out of embarrassment despite his thought to her modesty. Were her species worried about such things? He had no idea.... but he didn't think she would want her exterior on display and giving wrong signals.

Some Nolfians could be very blunt, to the point or even worse...

He didn't want her to get the wrong end of that nose.

Atelon looked at her then as she spoke of not wishing to be a burden and one that he hadn't epxected either. Well, that was true enough... her arrival had been the last thing he had anticipated, never mind whatever else he had theorised of those ruins. This changed a lot of perspectives, really but he could not bring himself to view her as some burden like he might carrying weight he didn't ask for in the form of heavy goods or working without pay. Perhaps it was that she was new and different from everything he had known and that this presented a challenge more than a burden ever could.

Kat began listing off Tucker's needs and requirements and he swiftly began writing those down in a separate file he had started earlier under Tucker's heading in the files. Handy notes that could very well serve him again in future. WHy or how remained to be seen but there it was. Atelon, nodded, "That should all be ascertainable without difficulty."

He smiled and nodded, gesturing towards the kitchen with a lazy swipe of a paw, "Help yourself. You are my guest, and by extension, that goes for little Tucker too." He kept a tidy ship and his utensils were simple and uniform, very easy managed, he thought and he didn't think there would be much issue there if they could be utilised. Saved him some coin at least.
 
"Oh, boy." Kat rubbed the back of her neck blushing slightly. She couldn't decide which was more embarrassing: Being asked to wear a tail or thinking about her posterior showing.

Wearing ears and a tail had a very different connotation where she was from, and while she did try not to judge such things, when she was honest she had to admit it made her uncomfortable. Still, this was not home. Very clearly not home. Not having a tail would probably be worse here than if she wore a tail back home. Oh, and ears. She couldn't forget the ears.

Clearing her throat, Kat said, "Yes, I can do a tail and ears. It will be a strange adjustment to make, but I'll do my best."
 
She was uncomfortable with the notion, that much he could read well into from the signals she was giving off in addition to her words. However, to not utilise one could place them into a difficult position. It would be a temporary thing but it would help with moving through the crowds without them swarming her or asking a load of questions she didn't necessary want or need answering.

Atelon nodded and then changed to a new page before he swiftly drew out what he would get for her, "Out of our twenty-six tribes... you would match best with the Her'zu... they're much shorter with folded ears... so we could likely forego them if you like, a hood would easily hide that and would help with, uh, well..." he blinked and then tapped his own muzzle in gesture. There was so much that was different. "The tail, however, isn't like mine... they have a much shorter and curled tail..."

He drew the tail out, it was a lot like a mix of pug with the curl and husky with the fluffiness of the fur length, "We've reached a stage of technology where it will automatically know when you're about to sit, read into emotion and display the stronger ones... A tail is important to our identity."

Atelon offered compromise where he could, "I will arrange the immediate needs for you before we can sort out the rest, after we get our statements down. Is that all right?"
 
That was the cutest dang tail she'd possibly ever seen. It did help to know the thing wouldn't just dangle awkwardly and look obviously fake. It was a bit weird to think of having a wagging tail attached to her, and she wondered exactly how that would work, but she figured she'd find out soon enough. She hadn't even thought about the muzzle situation, but now that he mentioned it, that would be an issue.

"I'll wear the tail, and I'll make sure to keep a hood on and up at all times," she assured him. "Everything else sounds good. How do we get these statements done? Should I just start talking?"
 
He nodded, at least she saw the reasons behind such intent. Had he been brought to her world... he was unsure what could have been done in his regard but he was fairly certain he would have had a harder time of it.

He shifted the page on the notebook back to a recording page and settled it between them on the lounger, "Yes... I beleive we should begin with your account. I'll follow yours thereafter. Hit this button when you're ready," he said, pointing to a start button to start the recording. "If you need to pause, press this button again but do not press this one." He pointed to a stop button that would end the recording.
 
Kat shifted to a comfortable position and then cautiously hit the recording button. Once it started, she told her story. She wasn't sure what Atelon was looking for, exactly, so she reported exactly what happened like she might give a report to her boss at the site. This was about where she was, what she was doing, and what time of day. That was exactly like giving a report to her boss, except when she reported to her boss, it was usually about something to do with metal, not a weird storm thing that snatched people. She tried to be as detailed as possible, her heart rate picking up as she talked about the storm, but she got through it. Finally, she ended with her agreement to accompany Atelon and sat back, looking at him to see what he'd do next.
 
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